'Is there a dress code for ministers': Madras High Court asks Tamil Nadu government on PIL against Udhayanidhi Stalin's t-shirt

Chennai: As Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s attire – a white t-shirt with the DMK’s election symbol Rising Sun engraved on it – kicks up a row in the state, the Madras High Court on Tuesday asked the government to explain if there was any dress code to be followed by Constitutional functionaries, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL).

A division bench of justices D Krishnakumar and P B Balaji asked Advocate General P S Raman and the petitioner M Sathya Kumar to find out relevant rules and regulations on any dress code for ministers and place them before the court during the next hearing.

Kumar, a lawyer from Selayiur near Chennai, had filed the PIL against Udhay wearing the t-shirt with the DMK’s election symbol even at government events. Principal opposition party, AIADMK, has been urging Udhay to avoid wearing t-shirts, terming them as “casual dress”, and instead wear shirts with its senior leader D Jayakumar even asking the deputy chief minister to “get serious” about public life.

The PIL asked the court to direct Udhay to adhere to a Government Order issued on June 1, 2019, laying down the dress code to be followed by government servants. However, the Attorney General told the court that the order referred to by the petitioner applies only to government servants and not public servants like ministers.

The A-G also told the court that even the order mentions that casual attire should be “avoided” to drive home his point that it does not prohibit it. He also made it clear that t-shirts cannot be considered inappropriate.

The petitioner wanted Udhay to wear formal pants or veshti reflecting Tamil culture and took objection to the engraving of DMK’s election symbol in his attire.